{"id":441772,"date":"2020-07-28T02:13:27","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T09:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=441772"},"modified":"2024-10-28T11:21:47","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T18:21:47","slug":"league-of-olympic-swim-legends-ian-thorpe-tops-200m-free-podium-with-schollander-a-snap-for-hoogie-gross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/league-of-olympic-swim-legends-ian-thorpe-tops-200m-free-podium-with-schollander-a-snap-for-hoogie-gross\/","title":{"rendered":"League Of Olympic Swim Legends: Ian Thorpe Tops 200m Free Podium With Schollander & A Snap For Hoogie & Gross"},"content":{"rendered":"

What would have unfolded had Tokyo 2020 gone ahead as planned this week \u2013 and where would it all have fit in the thread of Olympic swim legends like <\/span>Ian Thorpe, Don Schollander,\u00a0Michael Gross and Pieter Van Den Hoogenband?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>To mark the eight days over which the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games would have unfolded had the coronavirus pandemic not forced postponement, the team at\u00a0Swimming World<\/em> is filling the void with a Virtual Vision Form Guide and League of Olympic Swimming Legends<\/strong>. <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Day 2, event 3 – the alchemy of silver to gold on the crest of a wave of pioneering pace …<\/p>\n

\"ianthorpeathens2004\"

Ian Thorpe – Athens 2004 victory in an Olympic record – Photo Courtesy: Olympic Channel still<\/p><\/div>\n

Men’s 200m Freestyle<\/h2>\n
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The Podium<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Ian Thorpe (AUS)<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Don Schollander \u00a0<\/span>(USA)<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Michael Gross (FRG); Pieter Van Den Hoogenband (NED)<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Other Finalists (Listed Alphabetically):<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Bruce Furniss (USA)<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n
    • Michael\u00a0Phelps<\/span>\u00a0(AUS)<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Mark Spitz (USA)<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n
    • Johnny Weissmuller (USA)<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Our<\/em>\u00a0Lane 9*<\/em>\u00a0place, with a top-reserve nod to Mike Wenden<\/strong>, the Australian who beat Schollander for the 1968 Olympic 200m title to add to the 100m crown he’d claimed five days before, goes to the Frenchman who eight years on from his 2012 victory remains the holder off the best time ever swum in a textile suit:<\/li>\n
    • Yannick Agnel<\/u><\/span><\/span>\u00a0(FRA)<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      All-Time Battle Of Olympic Swim Legends Goes To Ian Thorpe<\/h3>\n
      \"Schollander,

      Don Schollander – Photo Courtesy: ISHOF<\/p><\/div>\n

      \"Pieter

      Pieter Van den Hoogenband – Photo Courtesy: Bill Collins<\/p><\/div>\n

      If the 200 freestyle at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens \u2013 featuring Ian Thorpe, Pieter van den Hoogenband and Michael Phelps<\/strong> \u2013 was declared \u201cThe Race of the Century<\/em>,\u201d then this clash of Legends must be deemed \u201cThe Race of Swimming Lore<\/em>.\u201d It marks a spectacular gathering of greats and is nuanced due to certain narratives that were out of the control of the athletes.<\/p>\n

      Before delving into the intricacies of this all-time race, let\u2019s review its simplest part: Australia\u2019s Thorpe secured the gold medal, his Olympic title from 2004 and silver medal helping to vault him ahead of the opposition. During his career, Thorpe set six world records, highlighted by a 1:44.06 performance en route to the 2001 world title.<\/p>\n

      Taking the silver medal was the United States\u2019 Don Schollander<\/strong><\/a>, whose Olympic aspirations in the event were impacted by scheduling. An 11-time world-record setter in the 200 freestyle, Schollander won silver in 1968, the first year the event was on the Olympic schedule. Had the 200 free been on the docket four years earlier, during Schollander\u2019s heyday, there is little doubt he would have stormed to gold.<\/p>\n

      The Netherlands\u2019 van den Hoogenband and West Germany\u2019s Michael Gross<\/strong> shared the bronze medal. Van den Hoogenband rode the power of his 2000 Olympic crown over Thorpe and 2004 silver medal while Gross, the 1984 Olympic champion, was fueled by a quartet of world records that saw him hold the global standard for five years. They were pushed by the United States\u2019 Johnny Weissmuller<\/strong>, who raced in an era in which the 200 free was not an Olympic event, but set three world records and held the global mark for 13 years.<\/p>\n

      With this Legends victory, Thorpe makes the top of our podiums twice, after gold in the 400m freestyle on day 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      The obvious question after revealing the podium is: Where is the United States\u2019 Phelps? The 28-time Olympic hardware winner finished just outside of the medals a touch adrift Weissmuller, although his Olympic title from 2008 and bronze medal from 2004 offered a significant challenge.<\/p>\n

      An extra lane was granted in this event, France\u2019s Yannick Agnel<\/strong> taking advantage. As the textile world-record holder, the 2012 Olympic champion supplied a sterling performance in London that cannot be overlooked.<\/p>\n

      The ‘Race of the Century’ …<\/strong><\/p>\n